Can-opener.



W. A. WILUAMSON.

CAN OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, 1916.

1,269,031 Patented June 11, 1918.

" 1s W111i.

ATTORNEYS- INVENTOR'.

orr en CAN-OPENER.

Application filed October 23, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM A. /VIL- LIAMSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Openers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in can openers; and, the present invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel device in the form of a can opener which is provided with a perforating point at one end of the bar, and has slidably disposed upon said bar a novel form of cutter which is adjustable, so that the can opener may. be used for cutting tops of metal packages of dilferent sizes.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide a novel can openerof the general character hereinafter more particularly set forth, and one, in which the adjustable cutter is preferably provided with suitable spring-action so as to closely hug the longitudinal side-edges of the bar against accidental movement, but still permitting of the operator to slide the said cutter upon the bar, so that thereby any slight lateral movement independently of the radius-bar is obviated, and whereby greater eiiiciency in operation, as well as economy in cost of manufacture Isattam ed.

Other objects of the present lnvention not at this time more particularly enumerated will be clearly obvious from the following detailed description of the present invention.

\Vith the various objects of the invention in view, the said invention consists, primarily, in the novel can opener herelnaftor set forth, as well as in the novel arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, and the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be more fully described in the following specification, and then finally embodied in the clauses of th claims which are appended to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Junelll, 1918.

Serial No. 127,060.

direction of the arrow 00, said section bea ing taken on line 5-5 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a similar section taken upon the same line 55 in said Fig. l, but looking in the direction of the arrow y.

Similar characters of reference are em ployed in all of the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts The can opener comprises a main 'bar- 1, usually termed the radius-bar, which is provided at one end with a suitable handle, as 2, and may be suitably provided or formed upon its other end with a perforating device or spur, as 3, adapted to act'as a center around which the cutter or blade, movably or slidably disposed upon the radius-bar 1, moves when cutting.

As shown in the several figures of the drawings, the radius-bar is usually a flat piece of metal preferably of rectangular configuration, as shown more particularly in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

Suitably disposed upon this radius-bar is the cutter or blade, the same in the present case being made from wire which is bent at its one end into a suitably formed loop shaped member as 4.- adapted to be disposed upon the lower surface of the said radiusbar 1. The said loop-shaped member terminates in a laterally extending member 5, and a portion 6 which extends upwardly along the longitudinal extending edge-surface 7 of the radius-bar 1. The portion 6 has connected therewith a curved or arc-shaped member 8 which extends laterally upon the upper surface of the said radius-bar 1 and extends, in the same plane, as at 9, along the edge-surface 7 and then downwardly, as at i 10, along said side-edge 7. The portion 10 terminates in a right-angled member 11 which extends over and is slidably disposed upon the lower surface portion or face of the radius member 1, and then terminates in an upwardly extending member, as 12, similar to the member 10, thereby providmg a .U-shaped portion which closely hugs the side-edges 7 and 13, as well as the lower face of the radius-bar 1. Connected with the upper portion of the said member 12, and extending along the side-edge 13 of the cutter-bar is a member 1 1, which terminates in a curved or arc-shaped element, as 15, extending laterally above and over the upper surface of the cutter-bar 1. This element 15 terminates at 16 in a portion 17 which extends down the side 13 of the said cutterbar, closely hugging the said side 13 and then projecting into and through the said loop-shaped element 4, for a distance below the lower surface of the said cutter-bar, and at that point terminating in a suitable piercing member or cutter, as 18.

As, has been stated, the cutter or bladedevice is preferably made from spring-wire, and the tendency of the two arc-shaped members 8 and 15 is such, that the various portions 6 and 16, and 10 and 12, are caused to closely hug the opposite edge-surface 17 and 13 of the radius-bar, so that sufficient frictional. engagement is produced between the main cutter-member or device and the said radius-bar to properly retain the cutter or blade in its adjusted position upon this radius-bar against lateral movement, and thereby provide the proper circular cutting of the top of the can or package, as will be clearly evident. The frictional engagement of the said cutter-element with. the various surface-portions of the radius-bar is such, however, that the movement of the cutter element upon said barin either direction of the arrows w or y for adjustment by the manipulator, is not interfered with.

From the foregoing description of the present invention, it will be clearly evident, that a can opener has been produced which embodies simplicity in its, construction, is eflicient in its operation, and is most economical in its cost of manufacture.

I am aware that the essential and characteristic features of the present invention are susceptible to modification, and, therefore, I do not limit myself to the exact de tails of the construction of the device and parts as herein shown and described in the accompanying specification.

I claim 1. A can-opener comprising a radius-bar, and a cutter element movably disposed upon said bar, said cutter-element being made of spring-wire formed with end-portions embracing the side-edges and lower surface of said bar, and arc-shaped retaining elements intermediate of the end-portions of said outter-element, said arc-shaped elements extending over the upper surface of the said radius-bar to provide frictional contact between the said cutter-element and the radiusbar.

2. In a can-opener, a flat radius-bar provided at one end with a piercing point, and a cutter-element mounted upon said bar, said cutter-element being made of wire formed with end-portions embracing the side-edges and lower surface of said bar, one of said end-portions terminating in a laterally extending loop-shaped end-member, and a cutter-blade extending downwardly into and through the said loop-shaped end-member.

3. 111 a can-opener, a flat radius-bar provided at one end with a piercing point, and a cutter-element mounted upon said bar, said cutter-element being made of wire formed with end-portions embracing the side-edges and lower surface of said bar, one of said end-portions terminating in a laterally extending loop-shaped end-member, and a cutter-blade extending downwardly into and through the said loop-shaped end-member, and arc-shaped retaining elements intermediate of the said end-portions of the cut ter-element, said arc-shaped elements ex tending laterally from the opposite sideedges and over the'upper surface of the said cutter-bar.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of October, 1916.

WILLIAM A. WILLIAMSON.

Witnesses FREDK C. FRAENTZEL, FREDK H. W. FRAENTZEL.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents, Washington, I). G. 

